


Taken

by lindsey_grissom



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2003-06-21
Updated: 2004-05-02
Packaged: 2017-10-10 13:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/100248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindsey_grissom/pseuds/lindsey_grissom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You don't know what you've got until it's Taken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Long abandoned, but I do intend at some point to take the time to revise and finish this. Eventually. It was the first multi-chapter plot!fic I ever attempted.

The night outside reflected back what she felt inside.

Cold, bitter and dismal.

Why didn't anyone want her? She wasn't that bad was she? Even her daughter, who she had had a relationship with closer than anyone else, was starting to slip away. And the one person she thought she would always be able to turn to was the one person the furthest away. With this last thought she felt the tears in her eyes flood over her eyelids. She let them; there was no one to see her.

She sat there crying for hours just letting all her emotions spill out. The ring of the doorbell startled her and she wiped her eyes with her hand clearing the haze just enough to be able to see the digits on the clock; 3:30.

_'Who could that be?'_ She thought as she stood up from the couch and headed towards the door. Without thinking clearly or looking to see who it was, she unlocked the door and was thrown backwards as the 'visitor' shoved the door open. Her body, tired from sleepless nights and crying, couldn't put up much of a fight as the stranger covered her mouth with a cloth, coated in chloroform.

'I must let him know' she thought. Before the chloroform could take over her mind, she grabbed the vase from the small table by the door and threw it at the wall just in front of her, missing her attacker by a few feet.

He just growled in anger and grabbed her in his arms. Just as the drug took over her, she used all the remaining strength she had to bite him. As her teeth pierced his skin, the blood dripped down his arm and onto the clean carpet. He yelled in pain and the last thing she saw before she blacked out was his eyes; cold and dark.

"You'll pay for that Little Miss, and no one will be able to help you."

'I hope you're wrong.' She thought, 'Help me Gil, I need you.'


	2. Chapter 2

"Is everyone here?" Grissom asked as he entered the Break room, "Where's Cath?" He asked shocked, not seeing her there. Nick, Sara and Warrick looked just as surprised as he did.

"We thought she was with you." Sara replied while the others nodded in agreement.

"Oh, well there has to be a good reason she's late, no reason why the rest of you can't continue working." Grissom said whilst handing out the slips.

"Nick, Sara you've got a dead body found in the cinema. Brass'll be waiting for you at the scene. The address is on the card." With that Nick and Sara stood up and started heading for the door.

"Warrick you've got a break-in. It was just phoned in. I haven't had a chance to review all the details but the address is on the card and I'm sure you can handle it." Warrick looked up from the card and after a glance in the direction of Nick and Sara, shock plastered on their faces he looked at Grissom.

It was a very rare thing when the head CSI didn't know all the details; it was unheard of when the head CSI was Gil Grissom. Suddenly feeling all eyes on him, Grissom started heading for the door, where he meet Nick and Sara, still staring at him. "Shouldn't you two be somewhere, a crime scene maybe." That statement snapped Sara out of her trance and grabbing Nick by the arm, she dragged him out of the Break room and into the hall.

Warrick, who had gone back to studying his card looked up suddenly. "Grissom!" He shouted after the man just leaving the room. The tone of Warrick's voice caused Grissom to spin round quickly and re - enter the room.

"What's wrong?" he asked seeing the shock on his team member's face. "The address on this card," he said slowly,

"Yes," Grissom said beginning to become impatient.

"It's Catherine's."


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting in the Tahoe on the way to Catherine's house Grissom thought back to a few moments before when he had heard the news.

*************************

"What?" Grissom yelled.

"I'm sorry but this is Catherine's address, I remember from the last time we were there. Grissom! Grissom, are you Ok?"

"I'm fine. The report didn't say anything about a missing person so Catherine must be fine, we will treat this as any other case." Grissom replied. _'She must be alright.'_ He thought to himself. _'But why didn't she tell me herself?'_

"I'll come with you to her house. I mean the scene." He said to Warrick _'Maybe I can find out why she didn't call me first'_. He thought.

*************************

So here he was, sitting in the passenger seat, thinking about Cath, while Warrick drove and talked about something.

Glancing over at Grissom, Warrick could see he wasn't listening to him. He could see the concern etched over the elder mans face. As much as Grissom tried to hide it, they all knew how much he cared for Catherine. Warrick had seen it, every time the three of them had worked together, he saw the quick glances toward Catherine when she want looking, and he also saw the ones she gave when she thought no one was watching. He knew that their relationship was much deeper than just friends and lots more than lovers. They each other more fully than they did themselves.

But then something had happened, suddenly they seemed to part. No one knew why. They just didn't speak anymore. Warrick didn't understand it. They never worked together anymore, unless it was completely necessary, and when it was they still didn't talk except about the case. The glances were still there, but his were full of guilt and hers of remorse, and longing.

Both men were brought out of their thoughts by the scene before them. There were police cars everywhere as they pulled up to Catherine's house.

Exiting the car, they both exchanged a glance filled with confusion and then walked over to Brass.

"So what's with all the police?" Warrick asked, pointing to all the men questioning onlookers.

"Um, well." For the first time since they had seen Brass, Grissom saw the discomfort in his face.

"What is it?" Grissom asked, trying hard to hide the worry from his voice.

"Well at first we thought it was just a break-in, the neighbour heard crashing next door and then a car screeching away, that's when we called you guys. When we looked in side, well, we found something else." Brass paused again trying to find the right words. "We, eh, found blood." There he had said it. Seeing the look of horror flash across Grissom's face Brass continued. "We don't know if it is Catherine's, but well she's not here, we've tried to contact her, but her mobile's off and we found her pager on the kitchen table. None of her neighbours saw her leave and her sister doesn't know where she is. But we are doing everything we can to find out who did this and where she is. Grissom, did you hear me, we are treating this as top priority and we won't rest until we find her." He stopped talking and watched as the man before him just stared at the ground, his eyes glazed over and his breathing becoming sharp.

Warrick saw it too. Knowing that they would never find Catherine if they didn't start collecting evidence, he turned to Brass.

"Where is the blood? I'll process that." He asked Brass.

"Living room." He stated simply, the concern also evident in his voice.

Following Warrick into the house, Grissom heard Brass call to him.

"We will find her Gil. She's smart, she would have left you some clues. She wouldn't let this guy get away with this either. We will find her."

_'But will it be too late?'_


	4. Chapter 4

Somewhere deep in an abandoned warehouse a solitary figure laid curled upon a hard cement floor.

Her body hidden in shadow, but for a slither of light that illuminated her pale face; revealing the dried blood upon her cheek.

Nearby, a door swung shut. Echoing through the room. A larger figure entered, walking towards the woman on the floor. His footsteps were clumsy as he swayed from side to side, coming to a halt beside her. Drunkenly he dropped to his knees, the bottle in his hand smashing to the floor with him.

He placed a heavy hand on her head and gently tucked a few stray hairs away from her face. His hand then proceeded down her face and came to rest beneath her chin.

He spoke gruffly but the alcohol circulating within his blood caused his words to become slurred.

"Soon my love, soon. When you wake up we'll go away together and live together away from this world away from Him!" At the thought of him the crouching figure threw the empty bottle against the far wall.

He swayed as he stood, and almost tripping over the woman's body, he headed towards the door. Before reaching it he turned to her again and in almost a whisper he spoke again.

"Soon, very soon. Away from Him. Away from him."

He turned and left the room, still repeating the words to himself.

Far away a man stood in front of a house and silently called out her name.

A set of piercing blue eyes in the centre of the room opened and searched for the man that held the matching pair.


	5. Chapter 5

He couldn't believe it. She was gone. The house was empty, Warrick had sensed his guilt and sadness and had sent him out while the others worked.

As he stood outside he whispered her name into the summer breeze. Once again thinking back to times before, this time a lot further into the past.

***************

He could still remember what she looked like when he had first introduced himself that night. Her strawberry blonde hair was slightly longer than it was now, resting gently upon her porcelain shoulders. She was wearing a red tank top and black slacks, if it hadn't been for the baby blue lab coat she wore, he would have thought her to be one of the models from the latest case.

She was sitting at the desk, looking into the microscope, writing notes without looking up. He couldn't help watching her, he didn't want to disturb her and he didn't mind waiting. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she did look up and caught him looking at her. He quickly tore his eyes from her and looked at the floor, hoping that she hadn't noticed.

When he at last looked up at her, the smirk she wore told him that she had seen him, feeling his face begin to flush, he once again looked anywhere but at her.

"I'm guessing you were standing there for a reason, not just to stare at me." The teasing tone she used made him once again look at her, this time her smirk had turned into a full blown smile that seemed to light up the entire lab.

"Um, actually I came to see if the evidence I sent from the murder case had been processed yet?" He watched as she stood up and reached behind him.

"Here you are. The other lab tech finished them before he left, said he'd paged you, guess he didn't." She said as she handed him the slip of paper, and returned to her sitting position at the desk.

"Thanks. I'm Gil Grissom by the way." He replied, hoping to catch her name before he left.

"I know." Was her cryptic response. Sighing at yet another failed attempt at human contact he turned to leave. "I'm Catherine." He turned back to her to find another smile filling her face.

"Well thank you Catherine, and if we close this case by the end of shift would you like to get some coffee to celebrate?" He wasn't usually that open around people, especially not people he had only just met, but there was something about Catherine, the way she looked at him, he wasn't sure but he just felt that he could talk to her.

"Sure." Smiling to himself, he left the lab, only just catching her last words. "Hope you solve the case" His smile widened further.

*********************

He smiled at the memory, he had solved the case that night, and they had gone out for coffee and breakfast and she told him about her past, and he had openly told her about his. That had been the first meeting of many, and their friendship had just grown stronger every time.

He didn't stop the tears that began to trickle down his cheek. He couldn't stop the thoughts from filling his mind, he may have lost his best friend, so instead he slipped back into his Tahoe and let the memories flood back.

*********************

He had held her when she arrived at his door. Held her while she cried. Whispering reassurances that her husband really did love her and hadn't wanted to hurt her, while his head and heart were filled with hatred towards the man. The man that had hit Catherine.

He did that for years after, every time she arrived at his door, sporting another injury, he would hold her and sooth her. Even after Lindsey was born, he was there waiting for her, every day. He didn't believe that a man like Eddie would ever change, and it wasn't long before he was proved right.

She turned up on his doorstep, Lindsey in her arms, bruising already present around her left eye, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. Only once Lindsey was tucked up safely on his bed, did Catherine allow the tears to cascade down her cheeks, grimacing as the salty water hit the cut just above her lips. Again he held her, but he had no words to comfort her with. He could no longer say anything nice about Eddie. All he could do was be there for Catherine and try to get her to see sense about her husband. He hoped she would wake up and see him for who he was before he hurt her anymore.

Eventually she had woken up to Eddie. She had caught him cheating on her and had taken Lindsey to his townhouse. He held her as she cried about Eddie, for what he knew would be the last time. Then he had carried her to his room, where Lindsey was sleeping, and, careful not to wake the little girl, she placed the sleeping Catherine down next to her.

Watching them from the door he realised that they each held a part of his heart. Catherine was no longer his friend, she was his love and he had vowed never to let anything hurt them again.

************************

He broke down at that last thought. He had broken that vow to her. He hadn't been there to help her, to keep her from harm.

As he sat in the Tahoe waiting for Warrick to bring him evidence, he cried for the broken vow and made a new one. If, no when, he found Catherine, he would tell her how he felt and ask her to make another vow with him, one he would never break.


	6. Chapter 6

Darkness and pain was the only things she could sense right now. The pain in her head was so great that she couldn't tell if the darkness was all around her or if the pain brought it on.

As her consciousness began to return, it brought with the reality of what had happened to have caused her current state. Slowly she began to remember the gruff voice in her ear, and his hands wrapped tightly around her small frame. She could still taste his blood in her mouth; remember the feel of his flesh as her teeth bit into him. The thought of his touch almost making her gag.

Then the horror returned as she remembered those eyes. So cold. So dark. In her minds eye she could clearly see them  
staring at her as the drug took control. Piercing their way into her mind. Embedding themselves in her memory, to forever haunt her.

The thought of those eyes stirred something deeper in her memory, but she couldn't quite place the feeling. Not in her current state.

As she felt the last traces of the drug leave her body, and her senses returning to normal, she instinctively opened her eyes. The sudden light that shot in them caused her forgotten pain to return, and her eyelids flew shut reflexively.

She heard movement from the far side of the room. Cautiously she turned onto her side to face the sound, opening her eyes half way so as to catch a glimpse of the cause.

She recognised him immediately.

He had been the suspect in one the earlier cases she and Gil had worked. Before they had stopped working together. Even in her present condition she couldn't help the sadness that crept over her as she thought of Gil.

The acrid smell of alcohol brought her back to reality as he bent down, his lips only centimetres from hers. His breath filled her nostrils with its smell. Only just succeeding in not turning away in disgust, something she knew would definitely upset him, she moved her gaze back to his eyes.

A shiver ran through her, and she hoped he was drunk enough not to notice. He didn't. After a few seconds, that lasted hours he moved his mouth awkwardly to her exposed ear; his voice made her skin crawl.

"You know Blondie, you and me'll have so much fun here..." he stopped short as his intoxicated body lost balance and toppled to the ground.

Seeing his heavy form hit the ground, Catherine grimaced. As he started moving to his feet again, she tensed, expecting him to lash out at her, blaming her for his fall. Her eyes never left him. Every muscle in her body contracted, his head lifted from the ground, followed by his broad shoulders. His arms came up from under him and he pushed himself to his knees.

Steadying himself he slowly rose to stand. Swaying, he turned slowly, deliberately to look at Catherine. _'This is it.'_ She thought. It was only then that she closed her eyes, not willing to let this man see her fear, the fear that was always present during her marriage. She heard the heavy footsteps as he stumbled. Listening intently she found that the footsteps were getting quieter.

Cautiously opening her eyes again, but still not relaxing her body, she was not face to face with him as she had expected. She watched his retreating form as it began to disappear into the darkness of the room. For a few seconds he disappeared before a slot of blinding light shot across the room as the door was opened.

Squinting at the sudden brightness, she saw his silhouette fill the doorway. The light poured out behind him, framing him. "Maybe later Blondie."

And then he was gone. The light vanished as the door thudded shut. Her eyes, no longer adjusted to the blackness that surrounded her, stared straight ahead, unseeing. She rolled onto her other side, bringing her knees up into a foetal position, still staring into the black, as the tears slipped silently down her bruised cheeks.

...


End file.
